Feed mechanism for planers



March 25, 1924. w 1,487,712

H. L. BLOOD FEED MECHANISM FOR PLANERS Filed March 29. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 25 1924. I 1,487,712

- H. 1... BLQOD FEED MECHANISM FOR 91 Filed March 29. 1321 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 25, 1924,

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HAROLD L. BLOOD, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG-NOB TO NILES-BEMENT-iFOND COMPANY, or New YORK, n. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY@ FEED MECHANISM FOR PLANERS.

Application filed March 29, 1921. 7 Serial No. 456,545.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, HAROLD L. BLoon, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism for Planers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tool feeding and traversing mechanisms and particularly to such a mechanism as applied to a metal planer or like machine. Before beginning a cutting operation and at other times it isoften necessary to traverse the tool to position the same relative to the work. In the usual type of planer this traversing is either done manually or by power through a more or less complicated mechanism. It is an object of the present invention to provide improved means whereby this traversing operation may be performed in a simple manner directly from the tool feeding shaft.

it is an object of the invention to provide means for manually controlling the traverse of the tool head, such means being located in the most convenient position for the operator remote from the tool head and being adapt-ed to entirely control the traverse of the tool in either direction or the reverse thereof. 7

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a tool feeding connection and a separate tool traversing coniiection from a single tool operating shaft to the tool feed screw or feed screw shaft and simple means for rendering either connection operative and the other inoperative.

:tnother object of the invention is to pro-.

vide an improved clutch shifting mechanism for rendering either the'tool feeding mecha-' nism or the tool traversing mechanism operative, the said shifting mechanism being adapted to yieldingly force the clutch into engagement with its driver, to positively withdraw the same from such en gagement and to hold the clutch in its neural position.

Other and more specific objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

Referrii g to the figures of the drawings: e 1 is a side elevation of a planer the present invention.

Fig. is a plan sectional view of the tool feeding mechanism taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4. i

Fig. 4. is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 5 is a detail face view of the inip-roved clutch shiftingv mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view thereof taken on the line 6.6 of Fig. 5.

While the improved tool feeding mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings is applicable to planers and other metal working machines of various types, it may be stated that such mechanism is particularly applicable to a planer of the type herein illustrated, certain parts thereof being more fully shown and described in Patents N0. 1.29.9,192, dated April 1, 1919, to Keefer & Greenleaf and 1,321,203, dated November 11th, 1919, to Greenleaf and Blood; In such machine the planer table is operated by a reversing electric motor and the tool is fed and traversed by a separate feed motor, both motors being automatically controlled by the table reciprocation. It should be understood that the vertical tool feeding and traversing shaft, hereinafter defined, is adapted to be operated automatically and intermittently from the feed motor in synchronism with the table reciprocation during the cutting operation and that by merely throwing a. switch such shaft may be operated continuously in either direction to traverse the tool. 7

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, 1 represents the planer bed, 2 the reciprocating table, 3 and 4 the uprights or housings, and 5 the arch connecting the uprights. Driving mechanism is pro-. vided for reciprocating the table '2 on its bed, and sofar as certain features of the invention are concerned this driving mechanism can be of any usual or preferred form. I prefer, however. to use an electric motor which is'directly geared to the table and gaged respectively by dogs 11 and 12 se-' cured to the reciprocating table. These dogs are adjustable in position so as to regulate the length of the table stroke.

Cooperating with the reciprocating table to act upon work carried thereby are one or more cutting tools. In the construction'illustrated there is a vertically movable cross rail 13 which is fitted to vertical guides on the uprights 3 and 4. Transversely movable along the cross rail 13 are one or more (two being illustrated) tool heads 14 and 15. Transversely threaded shafts or screws 16 are provided to respectively control'the transverse movements of the tool heads 14 and 15, and a splined shaft 16 is provided for operating the tools vertically in the usualmanner. These screws or shafts 16 can be moved manually when desired by means of a crank 17 as illustrated. For moving one or more of the tool heads by power either to effect preliminary adjustment of the tools or to efii ect feeding there of during the operation of the planer, I provide an independent electric motor which is shown in the drawings at 18, it preferably being mounted upon the arch 5.

The housing 19 for the tool feeding mechanism is secured'to the rail by means 7 of bolts 20. 21 illustrates a vertical tool feeding and traversing shaft heretofore re ferred to and mounted in the housin 19' is a bevel gear 22 splined to the shaft and meshing with a bevel gear 23 on a horizontal shaft 24. The traversing connection from the shaft 24 to the feed screw 16 or feed screw shaft 16 comprises a gear 25 on the shaft 24 meshing with ear 26 on a parallel shaft 27 in turn meshing with a gear 28 loose on each screw 16 and screw shaft 16". It should be understood that reference to the feed screw throughout this specification refers to either horizontal feed screw 16, as illustrated in the drawings, or to the feed screw operating shaft 16 between such horizontal screws. The feeding connection from the shaft 24 to the feed screw 16 or feed screw shaft 16 comprises a crank disk 29 connected through a link 30 and arm 31 to a gear segment 32 mounted on the shaft 27 and meshing with a gear 33 mounted on the usual feed ratchet mechanism 34 loose on the screw 16. A clutch 3-5 splined to the screw 16 between the gears 28 and 33' is adapted to connect either gear 28 or gear 33 (through the ratchet mechanism) with the screw. The crank disk 29 comprises a bearing block 36 connected to the link 30 and adjustable radially in a guide way in the disk by means of a screw 37 to vary the throw of the arm 31 and gear segment 32.

As fully described in the aforesaid patents there is provided in conjunction with the feed motor a transfer switch 38. For normal operation of the feed motor to effect intermittent feeding of the tools the transfer switch 38 is in its upper position; and for operating the motor continuously to effeet the traverse of the tools, the switch is in its downward position. During the normal operation of the machine the feed motor is controlled by the pilot switch 7 to rotate intermittently in synchronism with the table reciprocation to effect the feeding of the tools. When it is desired to traverse the tool the switch 38 is placed in its downward position whereupon the feed motor may be operatedcontinuously in either direction, the

controlling means therefor being the pendent switch 39 as disclosed in Patent No. 1,321,- 203. In Patent No. 1,299,192, heretofore mentioned, both the traversing and feeding of the tool are accomplished through the ratchet gear 118. Insuch mechanism the reverse traverse of the tool cannot be accompiished without adjusting the double pawl 126. In applicants device, the traversing of the tool is accomplished through the gear 28 which is connected directly to the screw through the clutch 35 for traversing. The motor being thus directly connected with the feed screw through the clutch 35 and gear 28, the traverse of the tool in either direc tion and the reversal thereof is controlled entirely from the pendent switch.

Since within itself the motor controlling mechanism comprises no part of the present invention, it has been thought unnecessary to specifically define and illustrate the same herein. For a more detailed description of such mechanism, and particularly the electrical connections thereof, reference should be had to the before-mentioned patents.

The improved mechanism for shifting the clutch 35 is iliustrated in detail in Figs. 5 and'6. A handle 40 is connected to the body portion 41 of the mechanism through a stud. 42. Slidably mounted within a diametrically arranged guideway in the portion 41 is a slide 43 normally forced radially outward by means of a compression spring 44. A'block. 45 mounted on a stud 46 on me slide engages in the'clutch groove, as illustrated in Fig. 3. 47 iluustrates stops for limiting the rotative movement of the shifting member 41. The stops 47 contact with the spring pressed plunger 41 mounted in the member 41 and resiliently pressed outward by means of the coil spring 43. A spring-pressed ball 48 in the body member 41 is adapted to engage a depression in the housing 19 when the clutch is in neutral position whereby the clutch is securely held in such position. The clutch is shown in its neutral position in all figures of the drawing. Movement of the handle one way or the other rotates the member 41 whereby the slide and block 45 are moved laterally and the guideway is moved from the vertical toward the horizontal. When the member 4.1 has been moved to the position permitted by one of the stops 4.7 the guideway issufficiently horizontal to permit the spring 44 to force the clutch into engagement with its driver. When engaging the clutch, the operator throws the clutch lever to place the guideway in a horizontal position. Should the clutch teeth not be in register, the spring 44. is compressed and operates to engage the clutch when the teeth thereof come into reg ister. The construction therefore permits the operator to throw the clutch levers at any time without having to wait until the clutch teeth mesh. In disengaging the clutch, the guideway acts positively against the slide as to withdraw the clutch. It will therefore be seen that the improved clutch shifting mechanism operates to resiliently engage the clutch elements, acts positively to disengage such elements and provides means for holding the clutch in its neutral position.

Through the feeding and traversing connections above described, the gears 28 and 33 are always operated when the vertical shaft 21 is rotated. Through the gears 25 and 26 the traversing gear 28 on the feed screw is rotated constantly with the shaft 21 while through the crank disk 29, gear segment 32 and the intermediate mechanism, the feeding gear 33 on the screw is oscillated as the shaft 21 is rotated. When the clutch 35 is engaged with the gear 28, for traversing the tool, it will be seen that the motor 18 isconnected directly with the feed screw for operating the same in either direction. WVhen the clutch 35 is engaged with the ratchet mechanism 34 of the gear 33, the screw is rotated from the oscillating gear 33 through the ratchet mechanism in one di-' rection only. It will be clear that the extent of the oscillating feeding -movement given to the gear 33 may be varied by adjusting the screw 37 By throwing any of the clutches 35 one way or the other the feed screws controlled thereby may be rotated from the shaft to the screw for continuously traversing the tool, driving means for said shaft, manual controlling means for said driving means remote from the tool head for controlling the operation of the shaft to traverse the tool in either direction, the re- I verse traverse of the tool'being controlled from the said remote controlling means, and means whereby the tool may be intermittently fed from the said shaft. Y

2. In a planer, the combination of a reciprocating table, means for reciprocating the table, a tool head adjacent the table, a feed screw for moving the head transversely of the table reciprocation, a tool feeding and traversing shaft, an operative connection from the shaft to the screw for continuously traversing the tool, driving means for said shaft, manual controlling means for said driving means remote from the tool head for controlling the operation of the shaft to traverse the tool in either direction, the reverse traverse of the tool being controlled from the said remote controlling means and the. connection being of such construction that the reverse is accomplished without lost motion in such connection, and means whereby the tool may be intermittently fed from the said shaft.

3. In a planer, the combination of areciprocating table, means for reciprocating the table, a tool head adjacent the table, a feed screw for moving the head, an electric motor operatively connected to the screw for feeding and traversing the tool transversely of the table reciprocation, a manually controlled switch for controlling the operation of the motor to traverse the tool in either direction, the reverse traverse of the tool being controlled from the said switch.

4. In a planer, the combination of a re trolling means, and means whereby the tool .may be intermittently fed from the motor.

5. In a planer, the combination of a reciprocating table, a tool head, a feed screw for moving the head, a tool operating shaft, the feed screw and shaft being operably connected, means in connection with the table for feeding the tool through the shaft at each table reciprocation, driving means for said shaft, and manual controlling means for said driving means remote from the tool head for controlling the operation of the shaft to traverse the tool in' either direction, the reverse traverse of the tool being controlled entirely from the said remote controlling means and the connection between the feed screw and shaft being of such conerative and the other inoperative, means in connection with the table for feedingthe tool through the shaft at each table reciprocation, driving means for said shaft, and manual controlling means for said driving means remove from the tool head for controlling the operation of the shaft to traverse the tool in either direction, the reverse traverse of the tool being controlled en'- ti'rely from the said remote controlling.

means.

7. In a planer, thecombinationof a reciprocatingtable, a tool head, a feed-screw for moving the head, a gear for operating the screw intermittently to feed the tool, a coaxial gear for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a single shaft operatively connected to said gears for driving the same, clutch means between the gears for operativeiy connecting the screw with either gear, means in connection with the table for feeding the tool through the shaft at each table reciprocation, driving means for said shaft, and manual controlling means for said driving means remote from the tool head for controlling the operation of the shaft totraverse the tool in either direction, the reverse traverse of the tool being controlled entirely from the said remote controlling means,

8. In a planer, the combination of a reciprocating table, a tool head, a feed screw for moving the head, a gear on the screw for operating the screw intermittently to feed the tool, a second gear on the screw for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a single shaft opera-- tively connected to the said gears for driving the same, a clutch mounted between the said gears and adapted to be engaged with either gear to operatively connect the same with the screw, means in connection with the table for feeding the table through the shaft at each table reciprocation, driving means for said shaft and manual controllingjmeans for said driving means remote from the tool head for controlling the operation of the shaft to traverse the tool in either direction, the reverse traverse of the tool being controlled entirely from the said remote con trolling means.

9. In a planer, the combination of a reciprocating table, a tool head, a feed screw for moving the head, a tool operating shaft, an operative connection from the shaft to the screw for intermittently feeding the tool, an operative connection from the shaft to the screw for continuously traversing the tool, means for rendering either connection operative and the other lllOPGlltlVB, a feed motor for operating. the shaft, means operated by the table reciprocation for controlling the motor to feed the tool through the shaft at each table reciprocation, and amanual'ly' controlled switch for controlling the operationof the motor to operate the shaftto traverse the tool in either direction, the reverse traverse of the tool being controlled entirely from the said switch.

10. A planer tool feeding mechanism comprising the con'ibination of a feed screw, a tool operating shaft adjacent the screw, an operative connection from the shaft to the screw for intermittently feeding the tool,

a separate operative connection from the shaft to the screw for continuously traversing the tool, and means for rendering either connection operative and the other inoperative.

11. A planer tool feeding mechanism comprising the combination of a feed screw, a gear for operating the screw intermittently to feed the tool, a gear for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a single operating shaft adjacent the screw and operatively connected to the said gears, and means whereby the screw may be driven from the shaft through one of the gears to feed the tool or through the other gear to traverse the tool.

12. A planer tool feeding mechanism comprising the combination of a feed screw, a gear for operating the screw intermittently to feed the tool, a gear for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a single shaft adjacent the screw and operatively connected to the said gears for driving the same, and clutch means for operatively connecting the screw with either gear.

13. A planer tool feeding mechanism comprising the combination of a feed screw, a gear for operating the screw intermittently to feed the tool, a gear for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a single shaft adjacent the screw and operatively connected to the said gears for driving the same, and a clutch mounted between the said gears and adapted to be engaged wit-h either gear to operatively connect the same with the screw.

14. A planer tool feeding mechanism comprising the combination of a feed screw, a gear on the screw for operating the screw intermittently to feed the tool. a second gear on the screw for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a single shaft adjacent the screw and operatively connected to the said gears for driving the same, and a clutch mounted between the said gears and adapted to be engaged with either gear to operatively connect the same with the screw.

15. A planer tool feeding mechanism com prising the combination of a feed screw, a gear on the screw for operating the screw intermittently to feed the tool, a second gear on the screw for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a shaft parallel with the screw, two gears on the shaft in mesh respectively with the gears on the screw, a second shaft parallel with the screw, means on the second shaft operatively connected with the gears on the first shaft, and clutch means for engaging either gear on the screw with the screw.

16. A planer tool feeding mechanism comprising the combination of a feed screw, a gear on the screw for operating the screw. intermittently to feed the tool, a second gear on the screw for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a shaft parallel with the screw, two gears on the shaft in mesh respectively with the gears on the screw, a second'shaft parallel with the screw, means on the second shaft operatively connected with the gears on the first shaftand adapted respectively to rotate one gear and oscillate the other upon the rotation ofthe second shaft, and clutch means for engaging either gear on the screw with the screw.

17. A planer tool feeding mechanism comprising the combination of a feed screw, a gear on the screw for operating the screw intermittently to feed the tool, a second gear on the screw for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a shaft parallel with the screw, two gears on the shaft in mesh respectively with the gears on the screw, a second shaft parallel with the screw, a gear on the second shaft meshing with one of the gears on the first shaft to rotate the same, a crank arm on the second shaft operatively connected with the other gear on the first shaft to oscillate the same, and a clutch for engaging either gear on the screw with the screw.

18. A planer tool feeding mechanism comprising the combination of a feed screw, a

gear for operating the screw intermittently V to feed the tool, a gear for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool,

a single shaft operatively connected to the said gears for driving the same, a clutch mounted between the said gears, and a clutch shifting element comprising a single springpressed member engaging the clutch and adapted to yieldingly force the clutch into engagement with either gear to operatively connect the same with the screw.

19. A planer tool feeding mechanism comprising the combination of a feed screw, a gear for operating the screw intermittently to feed the tool, a gear for operating'the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a single shaft operatively connected to the said gears for driving the same, a clutch mounted between the said gears, a clutch shifting element comprising a single springpressed. member engaging the clutch and V adaptedto yieldingly force the clutch into engagement with either gear to operatively -connect the same with the screw, and means for holding the clutch in its neutral position.

20. A planer tool feeding mechanism comprising thev combination of a feed screw, a gear for operating the screw intermittently to feed the tool, a gear for operating the screw continuously for traversing the tool, a single shaft operatively connected to the said gears for driving the same, a clutch mounted besaid gears for driving the same, a clutch mounted between the said gears, and a clutch shifting element comprising a single'springpressed member engaging the clutch and adapted to yieldingly force the clutch into engagement with either gear to operatively' connect the same with the screw and to positively withdraw'the clutch from engagement withits gears. V

In testimony whereof, I hereto afix my signature. 7

' HAROLD L.- BLOOD.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent- N0. 1,487,712, granted March 25, 1924-, upon the application of Harold L. Blood, of ,Plainfield, New Jersey, for an improvement in Feed Mechanism for Planers, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as foliows: Page 3, line 100, claim 3, after the Word switch and before the period insert the comma and Words and means whereby the tool may be intermittently fed from the motor; same page, lines 114 and 115, claim at, strike out the comma and Words and'means whereby the tool may be intermittently fed from the motor; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of May, A. D. 1924.

[shun] KARL FENNING,

Acting Comvm'ssz'oner 0 f Patents. 

